


Their first encounter

by yoshikoblack



Category: Original Work, The Story of Yoshiko Black
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 08:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19225315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoshikoblack/pseuds/yoshikoblack





	Their first encounter

“Reaper is such a negative word for someone so kind,” Eve sighed, looking up into his brown eyes. “You’re more like an angel. An angel of death, perhaps, but still… I feel safe in your care.” She smiled, a gentle display of her emotions albeit sad.

“You are quite special. Kind,” he replied with an equally sad smile on his lips. He looked down at his hands folded in his lap. “You make my job easier.”

She looked at him with her head tilted. “What do you mean?”

“I hate my job,” he shrugged, and sighed. “I don’t want to end lives.”

“So why don’t you quit?” she asked, but then added after a slight pause: “What is a reaper who is not a Reaper?”

He chuckled quietly. “There is no such thing. If I quit, I would become nothing. Literally. It’s why I still carry out my duty. But I try to do it with kindness toward the person whose soul I am to touch.”

She sat quietly beside him. She could tell there was more he wanted to say, but it looked like he was struggling to put it into words.

“There are rules,” he explained. “All Reapers do their job differently. But the basics are that we are given the name of the next soul, and a date on which we are to make ourselves known to them. After that, every Reaper handles it their way. We give the person up to twenty-four hours to settle their affairs so that they may go in peace to the afterlife. Some of us watch our person until we deem them ready, and then go for the touch. Others, ruthless ones, simply go in without explanation, not caring if the person has unfinished business. Some of us speculate that that’s how ghosts are born. Others, like me, are gentle. I introduce myself and tell my person what is about to happen. I explain the time limit and tell them that it is their chance to do something they’ve always wanted to do. But of course there are rules to that as well. You can’t ask for more time, you can’t ask for someone else to take your place.

I try to make my person feel at ease, to have them leave feeling satisfied. Some have a lot to leave behind - family, friends, and other things like that - and they usually linger for as long as possible.

But then there’s you...”

His eyes met hers, and this time his smile had no trace of sadness to it as he reached up to stroke her cheek.

“Me?” she asked, feeling  warmth creep up her cheeks where he touched her.

“You’re ready to go, and only have one simple request,” he said, then dropped his hand back to his lap. “Many would fight to remain, but you’re at peace. You’re being so kind to me. And…” He took a deep breath. “No one has ever sat down to listen to my feelings… to my requests.”

Eve looked down between them. Her heart was beating faster at the recollection of her request.

“Can I ask you something?” She bit my lip.

“I will answer if I can.”

“You mentioned the afterlife. What happens when we die?”

“Yes, there is an afterlife.” He nodded. “And it is a life, just like this one. Your body dies, but your soul lingers on and is reborn in a new form. Maybe as a new species, as a new gender, in a new realm. But your soul will become part of another being soon after it departs this one.”

“What’s it like… to die?”

He sat quietly for a long time, and Eve felt anxiety begin to seep through her bones.

“I cannot say,” he replied a moment later. “I have never died. And if I had, I have no memory of it. No one but the Grim Reaper knows. But I have heard it said that it’s like falling asleep; drifting into unconsciousness.”

“But people die from all kinds of causes.”

“The cause is determined by the Reaper taking the soul. We can’t allow too many to die of natural causes. And some we have to take if we feel they are suffering too greatly - these are usually people involved in fatal accidents or who have terminal illnesses.”

She nodded in silence, letting his words sink in. “Then, how will I...”

“Like I said, you’re kind: I wouldn’t harm you no matter what. It will be painless. You won’t even notice.”

“Can- can you do it whenever you want?” she asked, the anxiety make making her voice quiver. “If I were to determine when I’m ready, I would never be. But I am. I just… I can’t...” She looked up to meet his eyes, and he looked back at her with determination.

“As you wish,” he said, and smiled once more.

She smiled back and drew a breath of relief. She closed my eyes for a moment. As she bent her head down, she felt him touch the top of her head. She looked back up to see him leaning back.

She wanted to ask him. Had he done it? But nothing passed her parted lips.

His smile grew warmer, and he leaned toward her again, this time pressing his lips gently to hers. Suddenly she felt calmness wash over her. Her eyelids now heavy, all she wanted to do was lay down to take a nap. His arms embraced her then, gentle and warm, and he lay her back against the couch as her eyes slid shut. She took another deep breath, and remembered only his soft hand on his cheek as she fell asleep.


End file.
